Christmas Marketing

I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year, and to let you know that my Christmas Marketing Campaign includes providing everyone with a bookmark containing information about all three of my books.

Please email me if you would like a bookmark.

Example Bookmarks

Books are ideal presents for friends or family members who enjoy a good read.

Suitable for those who enjoy reading murder mysteries set in foreign lands, my books double as travelogues with the added spice of an opportunity to solve ‘Who did it?’ along the way.

They also combine murder with an insight into the problems currently being experienced in diverse parts of the world.

‘A Ticket to Malta’ includes the issues arising from illegal immigrants landing on their rocky Mediterranean shores.

‘A Ticket to Zululand – The Place of the People of Heaven’ concerns illegal poaching of endangered species in South Africa plus political intrigue.

'A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’ covers the need to preserve Peruvian historical sites against a background of drug smuggling, prostitution and children being forced to commit illegal activities.

Kindle version is now available!



A Ticket to Cusco - The Land of the Inca
Kindle Version


After what seems like another marathon of emails backwards and forwards between my publisher and myself, at last all three books are available as paperbacks and for the Kindle. They can be found on Amazon.

From being told initially that the Kindle version was ‘in hand’, it then progressed through various stages until ultimately my publisher informed me that they were not able to upload a Kindle version because the book was in the wrong format. This was a peculiar excuse because ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ was in the same format as that of ‘A Ticket to Zululand’ which they had already managed to upload to Amazon.

Therefore, I did the upload to the Amazon site myself and am now happy with the result.

The only difference you will see is that the Kindle versions for ‘A Ticket to Malta’ and ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ have different covers to the paperback editions. This is because the publisher restricts the use of the covers to their published editions only, despite the fact that the photographs that appear on the covers of all my books were supplied by myself.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Lake Garda, Italy, recently, and below are some of the amazing sights we saw there.

Limone

 Perhaps I'll write a book about it!


Lazise

The rooftops of Sirmione



Hotel Marconi, Sirmione

  

 

Garda

My Third Book is now available!

At long last, ‘A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’ can be purchased from Amazon for £12.60 with free delivery or direct from the publishers, Authorhouse for £12.95 plus a delivery charge of approximately £2.07.

Alternatively, in the near future, a Kindle version will also be available from Amazon for £2.55.

Once again, I must apologise for what may appear to be a high price for a paperback, but this is because the system used for self-published books is ‘print on demand’ rather than arranging for large numbers of the books to be printed in advance of sales. However, for those living locally in Frinton-on-Sea I do have some copies which I can sell for £9.99 each. Alternatively, I could post a copy to you, but I have checked and the postage charge will be approximately an additional £2.60.

I am hoping to arrange a book signing in Caxton Books in Connaught Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, shortly, together with possibly another one in Malta via the Meli Bookshop in Valletta. Also, I am planning to offer talks on Self-Publishing to Book Clubs, etc. So watch this space for further information.

However, please remember that I will personally sign copies any books that you purchase, and add a special message should you require. Perhaps you might like to consider a book as an appropriate Christmas present for a friend or member of the family this year. Do please contact me to arrange this.

Problems with Self-Publishing

Summer in Frinton-on-Sea, England

At the present time, I am totally frustrated and completely demoralised. I was so proud when I submitted my third book for publishing; I truly believed it was the best book I had written so far. I had worked really hard on it, proofreading it thoroughly, and making sure that it was formatted perfectly.

I forwarded my completed work, together with a submission form and all the other information required, to my Check-in Co-ordinator on 20 July 2013. It is now 6 September, and I still have not received the final galley (proof). The novel has been backwards and forwards so many times that I have lost count.

Supposedly, the advantage of self-publishing is that the author is able to have a book printed in exactly the format they want with the content meeting their requirements. I have already learnt from my previous experiences, if you want your book laid out to your requirements when you self-publish, you have to fight tooth and nail in order to achieve it, and now I have discovered that you even have a struggle to ensure the content is included as you planned in order to ensure the novel is complete.

The first problem was that the information provided on requirements on the submission form was totally ignored – I only asked for the cover to be laid out in a consistent format when compared with my previous two books so that when they appeared on the shelf together it was obvious that they were part of a set.

When I submitted the book it was in a pdf format which meant that no layout changes were necessary, and that there would be no problem with proofreading the final copy as it would not be possible for the content to be changed as problems in this respect had occurred with my first book.

The first proof (with an incorrect cover layout) were received on 30 July, and I sent in the revisions on 31 July. As far as I was concerned, the book should now have been perfect. I received what I believed to be the final galley proof on 31 July, checked it thoroughly and confirmed my approval on 1 August.

It was at this point that the ‘rules’ changed. For the first time, in my experience, my book was assigned to Content Evaluators.

I would add that I am not against content evaluation per se. In fact, if carried out correctly it might ensure that certain books were improved prior to publication as the problem with self-publishing is that the content can be so poorly written that it is virtually unreadable.

But, as I have discovered, this was not the purpose of Content Evaluation in this instance. It was purely to protect the publishers from the litigation culture that is endemic in the USA these days.

Previously the only requirement was that the content should not be libellous, and even then, the publishers’ terms and conditions stated that they took no responsibility whatsoever for the content – it was totally the responsibility of the author. However, now my publishers are setting their own rules as to how many words/sentences can be used in quotations. Previously, the fair use rule was (as with all copyrighted material) that providing you quoted the originator’s details, the date, and used less than 10% of the original work, it was acceptable. And the quotes I used to enable my fictional accounts to relate to actual events fulfilled this requirement. However, not in the eyes of my American publishers who even at one stage suggested I spend an additional £450 in order to obtain an American copyright when I already have a UK one, which covers 165 countries, including the USA.

I am sorry to ‘witter on', but I had to get everything off my chest. Also, needless to say, I will not be using the services of these publishers in the future.

However, I am still hopeful that my book ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ will be available shortly.

Progress Report



The Andes in Peru



My third book  ‘A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’ is complete, has been proofread several times and is now ready to submit to the publisher: 19 chapters plus an Introduction and an Epilogue, 253 pages, 65,531 words have all been checked for errors.

Proofreading always takes longer than you think it will, and there is a continual worry that you have missed something vital; an error has slipped in, you have carried out a Search & Replace and replaced something that you did not mean to replace, or there is a fact that you have omitted to double check.

However, at some point the decision has to be made that the book is now as perfect as it can be and ready to be printed.

The next stage is to complete all the submission forms, agree the picture to go on the front cover and the back cover wording, carry out a final check when the proof arrives, and then give the ultimate go ahead.  Copies should then be available for purchase within a matter of days.

I would just like to say that I am very proud of my third book – I believe it is the best novel I have written so far.  Whilst writing the first two books I learnt a lot and all the knowledge I gained whilst writing those two has been applied within what, in my current opinion, will be my final book: A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca.

Views of Marsascala Bay

First, a progress report.  My third book 'A Ticket to Cusco'  is so very nearly complete.  One hundred and ninety pages written, and the story is all there!  Just need to go back and add a few things, proofread and check every word.

While I am doing so, I thought some photographs taken in a warmer climate might help cheer up those who are looking forward to enjoying summer weather, both in the UK and in Malta

The above picture was taken from the same location as that on the cover of my first book 'A Ticket to Malta', but of course, this is the daytime view - not the one taken in the dark!

The view to the right looks back into the bay, and the final one below is looking out to sea.

All of these photographs were taken in the month of April, when the weather changes in Malta and you start to believe that summer is just around the corner.

In the height of summer, in Marsascala Bay, all those 'buoys' you see floating at the front of this last picture will have small crafts attached to them and there won't be any space to swim inbetween the boats.

How do you know that summer has arrived in Malta? 

You know when you hear the ice cream van touring the streets playing 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer'!

‘Educational’ Murder Mysteries

Spectacular Cloud Formations during a Maltese Sunset

I have just been carrying out some research online, checking the facts I am including in my latest novel ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ and have decided that I could give my books a new classification as ‘Educational Murder Mysteries’.  This is not, as some might initially think, that they teach people how to commit murders, but because they all include a lot of facts about the countries in which they are set.  The aim of providing so much information is to put the location and the situation of local people into perspective, but hopefully, my readers will also find the facts of interest for other reasons.

I am now making good progress towards completing my third novel with over 150 pages written so far, the whole story laid out in a draft format and even the Epilogue has been finalised.  I feel I am on track for publication during the summer months.

To put parking problems in the UK into perspective, I give below an extract from a recent copy of the Times of Malta.  It is entitled: ‘Teachers’ strike over parking is to go ahead’.

“Teachers who work in Sliema will report for work an hour late today after the failure of eleventh hour talks with the council and the Government over the new parking restrictions in the locality.

The Malta Union of Teachers held meetings with the Sliema local council and later with Transport Minister Joe Mizzi yesterday in a bid to prevent the industrial action but there were no developments and the one-hour strike will proceed as planned, president Kevin Bonello told Times of Malta.

The directive will hit St Claire College, St Francis School, St Joseph School (primary and secondary) and St Dorothy’s School.

Teachers were among those who heavily criticised the new Sliema parking scheme which started being enforced last Wednesday. 

Half the parking bays across the busy town are being reserved for residents, with outsiders only able to park in them for two hours between 8 am and 9 pm or risk a fine  . . . (meaning) teachers would have to leave their classrooms every two hours to move their cars.”

Attributed to The Times of Malta

7 May 2013

Just Nuisance

Statue to Commemorate “Just Nuisance”

The question is “Was it a Nuisance to put together a Facebook Fan Page?”  It was certainly time consuming and frustrating with the problems within the software making it difficult to transfer images from my personal Facebook page to the Fan Page.  I really need to thank my daughter so much for ensuring that I finally got there.

Now that the Anya Ashe Facebook Fan Page is available, I am hoping that it was all worthwhile.  Only time will tell.

To support me in this media marketing exercise, could I please ask as many people as possible to go to the Fan Page and “Like” me.  Please tell your friends and relatives about it, and spread the word.  I need all the publicity I can get to sell my books.

Now that the Fan Page is complete, with links to and from this blog, I will get back to writing my third novel, a murder mystery set in Peru.

But before I do so, I will explain about “Just Nuisance”.

“Just Nuisance” was a Great Dane who lived in Simon’s Town, South Africa.   The story told is that he would travel from Simon’s Town Naval Dockyard into Cape Town on the train with the sailors so that when they were drunk he could help ensure they caught the last train back.  However, the railroad wanted to ban the dog from travelling free of charge so the sailors requested, via the British Admiralty, that he enlisted in the Royal Navy. This was agreed and the Recruiting Officer asked for the dog’s name.  “Nuisance,” he was told, but the Officer also wanted a first name, to which the reply was “Just Nuisance”.  From then on that was the dog’s official name, and when he died after being knocked down by a car, he was given a full military funeral.

Internet Publicity

In the Kruger National Park, South Africa

I have been having ‘great fun’ recently setting up my Facebook and Goodreads  pages.  Thank goodness I have my daughter to help me otherwise I would have given up long ago.

We are now in the process of setting up a Facebook ‘Fan’ page so that people can ‘Like’ me and in that way spread the word about my works of fiction.

I am hoping to arrange a ‘book signing’ in Frinton shortly to publicise ‘A Ticket to Zululand’, and am very hopeful that I will be able to obtain agreement from another bookshop in Valetta to sell ‘A Ticket to Malta’ as I am sure that those visiting the island as well as local people will enjoy reading it.

I have also now really got down to writing my third murder mystery :   ‘A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’.  Approximately 100 pages written so far.

My Writing Style

Kudu in South Africa

Both of my books ("A Ticket to Malta" and "A Ticket to Zululand") are now available in Kindle format in addition to the paperback versions being sold by Amazon and the publisher, Authorhouse.

Use this link to view ‘A Ticket to Zululand – The Place of the People of Heaven’ in Kindle format.

I have also now completed my Facebook page and reviews of both of my books can be placed on Goodreads and on the Amazon website: 'A Ticket to Malta' and "A Ticket to Zululand".

  

It would be much appreciated if readers of my books could complete reviews as I would love to hear your comments.

Just to provide an insight into my writing style:

From the outset, it has been my intention to provide a tourist’s impression of a foreign country using a travelogue format as a basis for my novels, but in addition, I will always provide at least a second thread within each story that gives an insight into the lives of local people, as well as adding the extra spice of a fictional murder mystery.

In ‘A Ticket to Malta’ some of the dialogue is in Maltese in order to add a Maltese flavour as the majority of Maltese people speak both Maltese and English, sometimes in the same sentence.  However, because few other people speak Maltese, a translation is necessary.  Consideration was given to placing this explanation in a footnote at the bottom of the relevant page, but then people might lose their place on the page.  This would be an even greater problem if the translation were placed in an endnote.  Therefore, I decided that the best solution would be to put the explanation in brackets immediately after the words that might be in an unfamiliar language.

I do hope my readers enjoy the inclusion of words spoken in a language that perhaps they have never experienced before.

In ‘A Ticket to Zululand’ there is only one word that is not in English as I have absolutely no experience of any of the multitude of different languages spoken in South African and, therefore, would not presume to include them.  The mission I assign to my readers in this instance is to discover what that one word is.

           

It's Available!

My Second Book

A paperback version of 'A Ticket to Zululand' is now being sold by Amazon and the publisher, Authorhouse,  for £11.11.

Readers in the United States of America can purchase it from Barnes & Noble for $16.95.

I apologise for the fact that the price is so high, but this is because of increases in printing costs over the past two years.  My first book comprised 300 pages and could be purchased from the publisher for £7.90.  This one only has approximately 230 pages, and costs so much more - it's incredible!

However, I am pleased with the quality of the final printed book, in particular the cover.

Now I am working on the Kindle version.

Also, I'm trying to sort out my Facebook page.

My second book is being printed!

Cover of My Second Book

I have now approved the final version of  “A Ticket to Zululand – The Place of the People of Heaven”, and it has gone to the printers.

As expected, I did experience some difficulties during the publishing process despite the fact that I was paying for this service, but eventually we arrived at a satisfactory conclusion.

The main hitch was that the Author Consultant I dealt with appeared to believe that everyone was an amateur and should be treated like an idiot.  Some of the advice I was given was incredibly inept, ie to make proofreading easier change the whole book to a larger font.  Surely it would be easier to use the percentage zoom feature.  Changing the font could result in a lot of extra work as there could be sections of the book in different fonts, the layout would change and page breaks would be in different positions.  Then you would have the extra work involved in changing it all back again to the correct font, and checking that it was laid out correctly.  Incredible advice.

Also, I did have problems understanding American accents when messages were left on my answerphone.

As I had experienced several hitches when I submitted my first book to the same publishers as a Word document, allowed them to format it and then eventually had to do it myself and supply it in a pdf format, this time I put in the first submission as a pdf.

However, the publishers then tried to persuade me to submit as a Word document because they did not like the font style.

I changed the font style myself throughout the book, and then resubmitted another pdf file.  This was accepted, and the following day I received it all back to proofread; they had produced a wonderful cover using the photograph I supplied, the back cover, title pages and copyright page, plus the whole book was in a format ready to print.

I was really impressed with the speed (one day’s work) and the layout of the cover pages despite the fact that my instructions to use a similar style to my previous book had been ignored.

Then I was encouraged to carry out a final proofreading.

It really is amazing that despite how many times you proofread, and bearing in mind that my husband proofread it as well several times, you can still find errors.  I spent a day proofreading over 200 pages, and found several errors that I corrected as I went along.  Then I resubmitted the pdf.

This was not accepted.  They wanted me to complete a Galley Modification Form in order to supply information on page number, paragraph number, line number, previous wording and new wording for each error.  Despite the fact that I had made the changes, they wanted to make these changes themselves, which would be time-consuming for them, and necessitate me proofreading again and probably finding further issues with the knock-on effect of layout problems that I had corrected as I made amendments.

After filling in four A4 pages of a Galley Modification Form (very time-consuming) and complaining via the Customer Care Survey, my final pdf was accepted, together with the requested changes to the covers and copyright page.

Now I am looking forward to receiving my first copy of the printed book.

As soon as I am given information on availability, I’ll let you know just in case you would like to purchase a copy.